Hongkongers call this time of year Bitter Moon as the city is at its coldest in the few weeks before Chinese New Year. So why was I perched on a wall by a very cold harbour in the path of an arctic breeze? To see the sound and lightshow, of course. Hong Kong’s unique display of neon lights playing across the skyscrapers of Central – the “Symphony of Lights” played every night from 8 til 8.20pm – is a major draw for tourists.
Choreographed to a modern jazz symphony and completely in time across a dozen buildings, it really is amazing – especially when lights run up and down with notes on a scale. With beats measured out on buildings over a kilometre apart, the coordination and synchrony of the show is testament to the brilliance of modern electrical engineering. And it looks pretty.
But – and it’s a big but – there’s something a bit tired about the whole concept. The music is the kind of jazz-opera that was popular with loveys all through the 80s and it’s the soundtrack to parts of my childhood being dragged round the Barbican. Anyone who remembers Variations will know what I mean.
'Symphony of Light': possibly outdated, sadly blurry...
The whole concept is essentially a bit naff, and out of synch with modern attitudes. China is making much of its new proto-eco credentials in the press these days. So how can it justify what is essentially wasted electricity? The time for wowing over electricity is over. It’s the 21st century. Why not save the displays for special occasions and set an example to the rest of the world?
Pingback: A walk through Kowloon « The Travelog